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This is an excerpt from one of Carl Childress's Books
"On The Bases". I read it 10 years ago and it still makes sense to me.
Im not sure if Im posting this properly or legally, but I felt it important enough to share with you.
I quote:
On The Bases by Carl Childress
Working the Bases: Safes and Outs
Finally, let's talk about what is probably the most famous play in baseball: The 'phantom- out at second.
Some umpires don't call the phantom out. Their "perfect game' argument goes like this:
"Probably the most abused of all the force plays is the first half of the double play around second base.
Players seem to accept as part of the game that the shortstop or second baseman is entitled to either tag in the area of the bag or touch the bag early and jump to the side of the base to receive the throw. Both of these are violations of the rules.
Clearly, that's right ... by the book. But real-life baseball isn't always called exactly by the book.
When I was growing up many years ago, I remember listening to Gordon McLendon, the "Old Scotsman." He was sitting in a Dallas studio doing the play-by-play of major league baseball: 'On the Liberty Broadcasting System, direct from Yankee Stadium by wire report...."
What we unsophisticated country boys didn't realize is that "wire report" meant Gordon was recreating the game from telegrams. I remember his discussing back then that major league umpires always called a "phantom” out at second. Most still do.
Since both sides accept the "out' as the legitimate result of the play, what do I gain by insisting on a literal interpretation of the rule? Rather, baseball tradition makes that play one of the easier ones I have to call in any game.
My advice: When the throw beats the runner a long way, don't worry about whether the fielder kicked the base after he released the ball or before he got it; don't even worry if he skipped kicking it altogether. Just hunker down and get ready for the play at first, where you're going to earn your money. In other words, the key consideration is: Could the fielder have made the play? If your answer is "Yes," you've got an out.
Naturally, if the throw is wild and it pulls the pivot man away you'll call, "Safe." And naturally, if that force play at second is not a part of a double play but the only chance the defense has for an out, or if it's the third out to end a half-inning, then once again, what I see is what they get: If the fielder doesn't have the ball when he tags the bag he doesn't get an out.
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